Broom handle brace



June 14, 966 w. H. REA 3,

BROOM HANDLE BRACE Filed April 1'7, 1964 INVENTOR WlLLlAM H. R EAATTORNEY United States Patent 3,256,048 BROOM HANDLE BRACE William H.Rea, Alton E. Rea, Rte. 14, Box 24E, Baltimore 20, Md. Filed Apr. 17,1964, Ser. No. 360,614 2 Claims. (Cl. 306-22) This invention relates toutensils and other devices of various kinds employed in households,commercial establishments and elsewhere, and to the manufacture of suchtools and other devices as well as to the equipment employed in suchmanufacture and to the nature and character of the devices themselves.

The invention relates particularly to fioor brushes or brooms havingindependent attachable handles and to the manner of reinforcing theconnection between such brushes and handles in order to enhance thedurability of the connection to obtain greater usefulness from thebrooms and handles.

Floor brushes or brooms have been employed having threaded socketsreceiving threaded handles in a solid connection but these soon becomeloose at the joint due to continual pushing and pulling, and when theconnection between the broom and the handle can no longer be maintained,it becomes necessary to obtain a new broom or handle at substantialexpense.

It is anobject of the invention to provide a floor brush or broomincluding a head with an internally threaded opening in which theexternal threads on the handle are engaged and to provide a connectionmaintaining or reinforcing element or brace by means of which the backof the broom in which the bristles are carried and the handle aresolidly and securely connected for a longer life span. Another object ofthe invention is to provide a broom.

including a solid bristle-carrying back and a threadedly attached handlewith a combination reinforcing sleeve bracket and device for retaining atight connection between the broom and handle, as well as a structurerofthe character indicated in the form of a split cylinder with reinforcingbrackets at opposite sides thereof and in which the semi-cylindricalmembers have tapered end portions which extend into the joint betweenthe handle and the brush and with the inner surface of such taperedportion V of reduced diameter connected to the adjacent portion oflarger diameter by an inclined shoulder so that when the shoulder on thehandle is caused to move down or along such inclined shoulder, acontracting and gripping action on the remote end of thesemi-cylindrical members will be accomplished.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawingin which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation illustrating a brush and handle with theinvention applied thereto;

FIG. 2, an exploded view of the handle brace of the present invention;

FIG. 3, a section through the connection between the brush, the handleand the handle brace illustrating the relation between the respectiveparts;

FIG. 4, a section similar to that of FIG. 3 in which the parts are infinal locked position;

FIG. 5, a side elevation of a slightly different relatively simple typeof brace; and,

FIG. 6, a fragmentary detail viewed at right angles to FIG. 5.

Briefly stated the present invention is a cylindrical sleeve axiallysplit at opposite sides and with stepped internal surfaces and a taperedend about the smaller of the internal surfaces, and which steppedsurfaces are connected by an inclined shoulder, and with angularbrackets terminating in the transverse plane of the end of the sleeve,each bracket having a spur at its lower end adapted Patented June 14,1966 to engage and penetrate the back of a brush to which the device isapplied and serving to maintain the portion of the sleeve remote fromthe brush in contact with the handle due to the threading of the handleinto the brush, the

. handle having a shoulder which engages and rides along the inclinedshoulder of the holder.

With continued reference to the drawing, a conventional brush has a back10 with bristles 11. The back also has internally threaded openings 12each at an angle of for the selective receipt of the threaded end por,-tion 13 of a handle 14. The handle 14 has a shoulder 15 adjoining thethreaded end portion. The handle may be threaded into either of theopenings 12 as is well understood in order to obtain maximum use of thebrush.

To provide a solid connection between the handle and the brush, a sleeveis provided composed of two semicylindrical half sleeve sections 16which when placed about the threaded end of the handle substantiallyencircle the same with a line of separation along the axis thereof. Eachof the semi-cylindrical sleeve sections 16 is provided at one end withan inclined external surface 18 terminating in an extremity 19 ofreduced size. Each of the sleeve sections also has steppedsemi-cylindrical surfaces 20 and 21, the surface 20 being of a diameterand length less than the diameter and length of the remaining surface ofthe sleeve and with an inclined shoulder surface 22 forming a connectionbetween the surfaces 20 and 21.

The inclined external end surface 18 facilitates and allows the reducedextremity 19 to enter the threaded opening 12 in the brush about thehandle 14 threaded into the same opening and the shoulder 15 on thehandle engages the inclined surface 22 and travels therealong to forcethe semi-cylindrical sleeve sections into contact with the handle 14.

In order to provide additional support for the semicylindrical portionsof the sleeve remote from the brush, each sleeve is provided with anangular bracket 23 extending from the extremity of larger size andterminating in line with the opposite end of the sleeve section andhaving an outwardly turned portion 24 parallel to the surface of thebrush. On the end of each brace is carried a spur 25 designed to engageand penetrate the back 10 of the brush and anchor the location of thelower portion of the bracket with regard to such back of the brush.

With the construction described a solid tight connection is providedwhen the handle is threaded into the brush within the semi-cylindricalmembers and a reinforcement is obtained around the handle between thehandle and the brush and between the remote end of the sleeve at eachside and the handle thus bracing and prolonging the durability of theconnection.

In the use of the device as shown in FIG. 3 the spurs 25 penetrate theback of the brush 10 with the inner walls of the semi-cylindrical sleevesection loosely fitting the handle and the shoulder 22 engaged by theshoulder 15 on the handle, and as the shoulder on the handle rides alongthe shoulder surface 22 the remote sleeve portions will move toward eachother to grip the handle.

The embodiment of FIG. 5 is similar to that of the preceding figuresexcept that it can be pressed or stamped from sheet metal being composedof two identical half sections 26 each having a substantiallysemi-circular portion 27 and diametrically opposed radial flanges 28 and29 with a spur 30 corresponding to the spur 25 of-the preceding figures.When the two identical half sections are assembled with the centercylindrical portions in opposition the flames 28 and 29 of one sectionwill overlie the flanges 29 and 28, respectively, of the oppositesection and the spur 30 on one of the members will be in diametricallyopposite position from the spur 30 of the other member.

In order to fasten the two members together welding or other types offasteners may be employed.

Each of the semi-circular portions 27 is provided with a slot 33 whichextends the length of the portion of maximum diameter, such portion ofmaximum diameter being connected by an intermediate portion 34 with aportion 35 of smaller diameter. The interior of the portion 27 is of thesame diameter as the interior of the portion 21 of the embodiment of thepreceding figures, While the portions 34 and 35 correspond to theportions 22 and 20 of the embodiment of the preceding figures.

It will be apparent that in FIGS. 1 to 4 the sleeve formed by thecooperating semi-circular portions is split at 90 from the bracingportions 23 and 24 While in the embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6 theseparation in each is provided by the slot 33. Also in the embodiment ofFIGS. 5 and 6 the lower portion of the sleeve formed by the two sectionsis maintained of substantially constant diameter instead of the lowerportion being separated and consequently variable in diameter as in thepreceding embodiment.

In the use of the device the brace is placed against the object in whichthe handle is to be inserted with the portions 34 and 35 entering theopening therein. Next the handle is inserted and screwed into theopening forcing the portions 34 and 35 into the opening to cause theremote ends of the sleeve formed by the two sections 27 to bind againstthe handle to reinforce the same. It will be apparent that two sectionsof the device may be stamped from a flat blank with one spur on eachblank and a couple of struck-out portions. The struckont portions may bein inserted into the openings of opposite struck-out portions andbradded over to secure the parts together, or the two sections may bespot welded or fastened together by other fastening means.

It will be obvious to one skilled in the art that various changes may bemade in the invention without departing from the spirit and scopethereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which isillustrated in the drawing and described in the specification, but onlyas indicated in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A brace of a character to fit about the handle and to engage the bodyof an implement, said brace including a socket-forming portion and atleast two brace portions disposed substantially axially of and equallyspaced around said socket-forming portion, said brace portions eachhaving a portion disposed generally transversely to the axis of saidbrace, said socket forming portion having an internal truncatedsubstantially conical wall portion adjacent its lower end to receivebindingly a shoulder on said handle, spur means on the lower faces ofsaid generally transverse brace portions extending beyond the terminalend thereof in a manner to penetrate said implement when said handle isinserted through said brace and forcibly engaged with said implement,causing the opposed upper portions of said brace to move into grippingengagement with said handle.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which said brace is composed of twoidentical members.

References Cited by the Examiner FOREIGN PATENTS 10/1933 France.

12/1910 Great Britain.

1. A BRACE OF A CHARACTER TO FIT ABOUT THE HANDLE AND TO ENGAGE THE BODYOF AN IMPLEMENT, SAID BRACE INCLUDING A SOCKET-FORMING PORTION AND ATLEAST BRACE PORTIONS DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY AXIALLY OF AND EQUALLYSPACED AROUND SAID SOCKET-FORMING PORTION, SAID BRACE PORTIONS EACHHAVING A PORTION DISPOSED GENERALLY TRANSVERSELY TO THE AXIS OF SAIDBRACE, SAID SOCKET FORMING PORTION HAVING AN INTERNAL TRUNCATEDSUBSTANTIALLY CONICAL WALL PORTION ADJACENT ITS LOWER END TO RECEIVEBINDINGLY A SHOULDER ON SAID HANDLE, SPUR MEANS ON THE LOWER FACES OFSAID GENERALLY TRANSVERSE BRACE PORTIONS EXTENDING BEYOND THE TERMINALEND THEREOF IN A MANNER TO PENETRATE SAID IMPLEMENT WHEN SAID HANDLE ISINSERTED THROUGH SAID BRACE AND FORCIBLE ENGAGED WITH SAID IMPLEMENT,CAUSING THE